Thursday 7 December 2023
St Ambrose
Isaiah 26:1–6. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord – Psalm 117(118):1, 8–9, 19–21, 25–27. Matthew 7:21, 24–27.
God, our everlasting rock
‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock’ (Mt 7:24). That rock is God, as Isaiah proclaims: ‘Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord you have an everlasting rock’ (Is 26:4). We recall that the Lord blessed Simon Peter: ‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church’ (Mt 16:18). God is our rock, and from time to time in the church people do assume Peter’s ‘rock-like’ status. Ambrose of Milan, whose feast is today, is one such rock-like figure in the history of the church. This gifted, learned public administrator had not yet been baptised when the people of Milan all demanded he be their next bishop. He tried to hide but knew on what rock he lived. On what rock do we build our home?
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